Sudan News Story

21 November 2008 11:41 BST

Darfur peacekeepers 'facing failure'

The United Nations' peacekeeping force in Sudan's wartorn Darfur region is "woefully under-resourced" and failing in its basic duties, human rights groups have warned.

A report published today by the Darfur Consortium, which consists of over 50 African and international organisations, says the UN-African Union Mission in Darfur (Unamid) will fail without further commitment from western states.

In August 2007 the UN approved a 26,000-strong force of peacekeepers to be deployed in Darfur.

Since then troop numbers on the ground have not risen much above 9,000, most of whom having been "re-hatted" from the pre-existing African Union force.

The Darfur Consortium says "many Darfuris feel no safer than they did before the force arrived" because of Unamid's lack of equipment, training and uniformed personnel.

Spokesperson Dismas Nkunda said: "One year ago the UN security council stood unanimous and promised Darfuris the strongest and largest protection force ever.

"Today that force is just over a third deployed, lacks even the most basic equipment and is unable to protect itself let alone civilians. The international community needs to urgently bolster its support to the brave, mostly African peacekeepers."

The report is critical of Unamid forces for not doing enough on the ground and calls for more regular patrols in camps, rural areas and along main roads.

It also says donor nations are to blame for not having pledged enough equipment, while the government of Sudan is responsible for rejecting many troop offers.

Mr Nkunda added: "The truth is stark but simple: the international community's failure to act is costing lives."

Unamid forces are coming under increasing pressure in Darfur, however. July 8th saw seven African peacekeepers killed and others critically wounded, while another was shot dead a few days later.

"These killings should shake us all, and the deaths of these brave African soldiers should not be in vain," Mr Nkunda commented.

"Without more support, Unamid is tragically doomed to fail."

The Darfur conflict, which began in 2003, has left an estimated 300,000 people dead. According to the charity Oxfam around 2.5 million people are living in overcrowded refugee camps, while over four million people in Darfur and eastern Chad are in urgent need of humanitarian need.